October 24, 2012

In-depth

Who Threw Israel Under the Bus?

Every time the U.S. has forced Israel to make a tough decision, it has been under a Republican administration, writes Efraim Halevy in the New York Times.

Throughout the campaign, Mr. Romney has repeatedly accused Mr. Obama of having “thrown allies like Israel under the bus.” But history tells a different story. Indeed, whenever the United States has put serious, sustained pressure on Israel’s leaders — from the 1950s on — it has come from Republican presidents, not Democratic ones. This was particularly true under Mr. Obama’s predecessor, George W. Bush.

Washington's Endless War

The United States' leaders no longer has any qualms about sending American troops into battle regardless of the cause, writes Doug Bandow in the National Interest. 

President Barack Obama’s policies are as warlike as those of his predecessor. Yet Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is seeking to portray the president as a Jimmy Carter-style weakling. Romney appears to be simultaneously channeling George W. Bush and John McCain. Proposals for new wars are not limited to those intended to defend America or stop genocide. A clamor now arises to join most any conflict, anywhere, of any size. In Libya, there were no direct massacres of civilians. Rather, most civilian casualties resulted from the low-tech civil war, which allied intervention actually extended. Syria’s civil war is similarly ugly, but there has been no genocide.

Daily Digest

• Times of Israel: Barak: No need to rush into Gaza ground incursion
• Haaretz: Hamas policy on attacking Israel has changed
• Jerusalem Post: Europe opens market to Israeli medicines
• Ynet: French police admit failings on Toulouse gunman
• New York Times: In Cyberattack on Saudi Firm, U.S. Sees Iran Firing Back
• Washington Post: A country united, for a change
• Wall Street Journal: Qatar's Gaza Visit Helps Hamas, but Poses Risks

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